HARC Conference on Translational Research in Healthy Ageing

Posted on 28 April 2015 by Martyna Głogowska

Between 16th and 18th of April an international conference devoted to the wellbeing and healthy ageing of the elderly was held in Clinical and Didactic Centre of the Medical University of Łódź. The conference was organised by the Healthy Ageing Research Centre of the Medical University as a part of the HARC Project, which is founded by the EU by means of the 7th Framework Programme. It was the first conference in Europe devoted to translational medicine in the area of healthy ageing i.e. with focus on how to translate the findings of the research on healthy and active ageing into medical practice. The rector of the Medical University of Łódź Prof. P. Górski and representatives of the city’s authorities, the Voivodeship and the Marshall Office participated in the opening of the conference. About 300 scientists, physicians and students took part in the conference and nearly 40 lectures were delivered by specialists from 12 European countries and the United States. Over 40 original research communications presented at poster sessions addressed various aspects of disorders of old age: neurodegenerative, circulatory and respiratory diseases and the role of nutrition and physical activity in maintaining physical and mental health in the elderly.

The Chairman of the conference and Director of the Healthy Ageing Research Centre at the Medical University of Łódź, Prof. Marek L. Kowalski during the closing ceremony concluded: “The demographical situation of Łódź, where the elderly population is growing rapidly, demands medical academia to join in the endeavours to solve the problems of the elderly also through medical research. Success of our Conference, which has attracted so many physicians and researchers from all over Europe, points at the Medical University of Łódź as the pioneer in the area of translational research in the field of healthy and active ageing. We hope to attract more physicians and researchers to this field, looking forward to see all of you at the HARC conference next year.”